| Even if one felt that Longbottom's work on the original SIDE SHOW was brilliant (and I don't agree), I'm very surprised, based on his subsequent work, that anyone expected him to have a great career, or that anyone would have to ask why he doesn't work more. I for one did not consider his version of PIMPERNEL notably superior to the original, only different. And then it was one artistic and/or financial failure after another, from FLOWER DRUM SONG to BYE BYE BIRDIE to that tour of DREAMGIRLS. His BIRDIE was so shockingly bad in so many ways, including the direction, that I was pretty sure it would end his career right then and there -- but he has continued to work thereafter, if not very often and not on Broadway. |
